What is CEAAC?

History

Citizens for the Educational Advancement of Alaska’s Children is the only non-profit organization in Alaska focused on at-risk students and struggling schools. Founded in the late 1990s, CEAAC worked for a decade to address school inadequacies in rural Alaska schools through the courts. Today, CEAAC uses research, policy development and public advocacy to solve school performance issues in rural and urban areas. CEAAC also provides scholarships to students of member districts from a $100,000 fund, and holds $750,000 in reserves, providing stable, long-term project support.

Who is CEAAC?

CEAAC’s core support comes from about two dozen school districts as members, including the Anchorage School District, as well as several non-district educational and tribal organizations. The personnel who advance our work include some of Alaska’s most experienced education and policy professionals, including Executive Director Charles Wohlforth, Government Relations Director Tom Begich, Ed Connector Director Lora Jorgensen, and project leaders Jerry Covey and Dr. Barbara Adams.

Major Projects

Educator Quality and Quantity Project. The quality of teaching is the most important element of school success, but Alaska hires 70% of its teachers from Outside, and many new teachers are poorly prepared for our schools and communities. Our goals are to increase the number of Alaskan teachers and administrators, improve their preparation, and to retain them longer. Former Commissioner of Education Jerry Covey leads the project. Status: initiated.

The Ed Connector.Districts administrators’ jobs come with many mandates, leaving little time for school improvement. Resources from outside the district could help if they were easier to access. The Ed Connector, developed at the request of superintendents and with their guidance, expands district capacity and solves problems collaboratively across districts. The project is staffed and funded for six years with support from GCI and BP. Status: In operation.

Regional Learning Centers. Small village high schools cannot offer comprehensive education, but some students need to stay at home in the village. The RLC concept allows districts to offer a variable-term boarding experience in rural hubs, giving students the best of both worlds. CEAAC developed the concept and won approval for enabling legislation and funding from 2012 to 2014. Status: completed.

What's Next?

Funding formula rewrite. CEAAC’s strong record of policy development and legislative success will make us a leader in this upcoming generational change in state funding priorities.

Pre-K. Dozens of Alaskan schools have pre-k funded by the state thanks to CEAAC’s efforts. We aim to bring voluntary pre-k to every school as part of basic school funding.